😮 The 50 greatest innovations of 2024: From Polaris Dawn to pig-to-human transplants 😮

Animals

The wild denizens that share our planet, including videos, photo essays, and news on recently discovered—or increasingly rare—species.

Explore Animals

Latest in Animals

waves in a deep cavern
Environment

Earthquake off northern California shook the water in Devils Hole, 500 miles away

By Laura Baisas

talking dog
Environment

Dogs really are communicating via button boards, new research suggests

By Lauren Leffer

A juvenile Nile crocodile. It is small with pointed teeth
Environment

Why are crocodiles so bumpy? A dermatological mystery has been solved

By Laura Baisas

a new shrimp-like crustacean. it is white with two protruding tusk-like appendages at its head, at least 8 legs, and two tail-like appendages at the back
Environment

New predator uncovered 25,000+ feet under the Pacific

By Laura Baisas

a microscopic zooplankton
Environment

Microscopic ‘eating and pooping machines’ are great at sucking up carbon

By Laura Baisas

Nautilus captured on video
Environment

After 15 years, a vessel named ‘Nautilus’ actually saw a nautilus

By Andrew Paul

dog kissing human licking face
Science

Why do dogs lick humans? It could be a sign of affection.

By Lauren Leffer

Two views of a slingshot spider (Theridiosoma gemmosum) web. The right image shows the web’s cone shape with a spider at the tip.
Environment

Watch a slingshot spider deploy a perfectly-timed trap

By Laura Baisas

a siberian husky sits in the snow. it has piercing blue eyes and its ears are perked up
Science

Humans gave dogs treats 12,000 years ago, new archeological evidence suggests

By Laura Baisas

Researchers say they were inspired by the way the Manta ray effortlessly propels itself forward using its fins.
Technology

This Manta ray robot is the world’s fastest soft-bodied swimmer

By Mack DeGeurin

The anglerfish species Lophius piscatorius.
Science

Anglerfish are so much more than just their dangly bioluminescent lures

By Laura Baisas

brain scans in pink, blue, and yellow
Environment

Humans may have big brains thanks to our gut

By Laura Baisas

an orca whale dorsal fin coming out of the water
Environment

Orcas observed preying on massive whale sharks

By Laura Baisas

Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel in grass, Leelanau State Park, Michigan.
Environment

How hibernating squirrels go more than six months without water—and don’t get thirsty

By Lauren Leffer

a polar bear covered in snow
Environment

13 marvelous images from the European Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards

By Popular Science Team

A new study suggests that great apes (specifically gorillas, chimpanzees, and orangutans) seem to track events in the way that we do.
Environment

Great apes may have cognitive foundations for language

By Tom Hawking

Peach and Blossom, the National Thanksgiving Turkeys, are seen on the South Lawn of the White House before recieving a Presidential Pardon from US President Joe Biden in Washington, DC, on November 25, 2024.
Science

How did Thanksgiving turkeys get so darn big?

By Mack DeGeurin

a more colorful dominant male fish next to a more muted subordinate fish
Environment

Stress is warping these fish brains

By Laura Baisas

A black tiger—known for its merged stripes—patrols the Similipal Tiger Reserve. (Photo by for Prasenjeet Yadav for National Geographic)
Environment

5 fascinating wildlife images from National Geographic’s Pictures of the Year

By Popular Science Team

Looking from the stern of the ship as it tows the long horizontal array of hydrophones. The tow cable can be seen going through the metal horn at the stern. The hydrophone array is several hundred meters behind the ship and about 200 meters deep. Credit: Ross Chapman
Science

New theory explains mysterious ocean quacking first heard in the 1960s

By Andrew Paul